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'As good as I've seen in 25 years': Northants coach goes ga-ga over 'superstar' Prithvi Shaw after back-to-back 100s
Northamptonshire coach John Sadler was all praise for Prithvi Shaw after the India star lit up the One-Day Cup with a double century and century in two games.
Prithvi Shaw may have very limited friends as per his confession a month back, but the India youngster has surely found an admirer in John Sadler, his coach at Northamptonshire. Sadler, who has been involved with cricket for a quarter of a century – first as a player and then coach – could not keep calm watching Shaw begin his stint at his club on a rousing note, slamming back-to-back centuries in the Royal London One-Day Cup.
Looking to regain form and eventually claw his way back into the Indian team, Shaw blew cold in his Northamptonshire debut, getting out hit wicket for 34 vs Glamorgan and then following it with 23 against Sussex. But what happened next was something no one saw coming. Shaw blasted 244 against Somerset and backed it with another century – unbeaten 125 against Durham to set the tournament on fire. In all this while that Sadler has been a part of the sport, the 48-year-old says he is yet to come across as talent as gifted as Shaw while hailing his commitment to the cause.
"Humble is the perfect word to describe Prithvi Shaw. He's gracious and respectful, he's loved being a part of the team. We're loving having him here as well," Sadler said after Northants defeated Glamorgan by 6 wickets and 146 balls remaining. "His skill speaks for itself, he's a superstar. He's as good as I've seen in 25 years of playing this game. He's up there with the best in terms of ball-striking. He genuinely wants to win games of cricket and has been a star in the dressing room."
What's been up with Prithvi Shaw?
Interestingly, terms such as gracious, respectful and discipline were associated previously with Shaw as well, but for all the wrong reasons. For the longest time, Shaw, 23, was billed as this child prodigy, deemed by many to become the next Sachin Tendulkar, but despite a terrific start to his India career – a Test century on debut – his career hit a downward spiral. Following an ankle injury in 2018 that ruled him out of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy even before the series began, Shaw was banned for a doping offence as whispers of his behaviour and temperament started doing the rounds.
Shaw was also recently involved in a controversy surrounding an influencer Sapna Gill, which he was later cleared of in June after the police found her allegations 'false and unfounded'. Still, rich form continued to elude him. Once habitual of scoring daddy hundreds in domestic cricket, Shaw has only been able to conjure big scores against weaker opponents. Despite emerging as the leading run-scorer in the 2021 Vijay Hazare Trophy, he could not find takers in the Indian team.
Shaw even plundered 322 runs from 10 games of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy not too long ago but the closest he came to playing a match for his country was in January, when he was selected in India's squad for the T20Is against New Zealand. He however did not get a game and was dropped subsequently. Shaw's last match for India dates back to July 2021.
